ESPN’S NASCAR Coverage Set to Take Green Flag at DaytonaESPN’s coverage of the 2011 NASCAR season launches with a live, flag-to-flag telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 19, on ESPN2. The telecast is presented by GoDaddy.com and begins at noon ET with NASCAR Countdown. The 300-mile race’s green flag flies at 1:34 p.m.

Thirty-three of the 34 races on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this season will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. ESPN also will televise the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season, including all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Fourteen of the 17 races will air on ESPN, with three Saturday night races appearing on ABC. ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins July 31 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the Chase begins Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway.

In addition to race coverage for both series, the networks also will televise practice and qualifying from select races, season preview and review programs and a special Chase preview. Each race includes a dedicated pre-race program and comprehensive coverage of NASCAR appears on ESPN2’s NASCAR news and information program, NASCAR Now.

ESPN’s team of announcers has four former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions returning to their analyst roles in 2011, including 1999 champion driver Dale Jarrett and 1989 champion Rusty Wallace. Two-time champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree also will offer expert analysis during the season.

Bestwick and Burns will each step into the lap-by-lap announcer position as fill-ins for Reid for some NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts while NASCAR Now co-host Nicole Briscoe will host NASCAR Countdown for several races. Wallace, Daugherty and NASCAR Now analyst Ricky Craven also will help call some races from the booth as fill-ins for Jarrett and Petree. NASCAR Now co-hosts Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will work as pit reporters for selected races as will Rick DeBruhl, a pit reporter on ESPN’s coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series, and Jim Noble.

ESPN’s NASCAR race telecasts will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg and senior coordinating producer Jill Frederickson. NASCAR Sprint Cup races and selected Nationwide Series races will be produced by Jamie Shiftan while Jim Gaiero will produce other Nationwide Series races. Richie Basile will be director.